Arranged
by Percussion Obsessed
Summary: Post SPM. After Dimentio's defeat, he is sent to the Underwhere. As he spends more time there, he finds traces of his past self fading, and a new side of him coming out. Meanwhile, Luvbi faces family troubles as her parents reveal they want to retire.
1. Down Under

**I editededed it. So here's the editing. **

**Enjoy you lovely chums~**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
Claimer: JK about the previous I own Blasphemious and Gerard **

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The vision blurred in front of the medium-sized man known as Dimentio as he brought his gloved his hands up to his face.

Wait. Face?

Dimentio's eyes widened as he touched his face lightly. Sure enough, the black and white mask so often worn by the jester was torn from its usual place. With an uneasy sigh, he stood up and took in his surroundings.

Dark trees loomed over him, and the sky was filled with an eerie purple glow. Mossy paved road lead a path up to a giant orange fountain ahead of him. Beyond the fountain he couldn't see, but the fountain seemed to be glowing with unbelievable power. Part of his mind began plotting how he could harness that power, but he shoved the thoughts out of his head as he dusted himself off and began walking towards the fountain.

"Oh, are you new here?" A raspy voice called from behind him.

Dimentio stifled a gasp and spun around, startled. "Ah… yes. Where am I, exactly?"

The figure in front of him eyed him warily. "The Underwhere. It's were we all go when our games end." A thick black spiked collar was around the figure's neck. It had sharp teeth and dark skin. Dimentio assumed it was a male. "How did your game come to an end? Mine was a Goomba…" it sighed.

"Just a silly miscalculation." Dimentio waved the question off. "How do I get out of here?"

"Get out?" The figure laughed. "You're funny… the only way you can leave the Underwhere is if you are worthy to go to the Overthere. But… good luck with that. Queen Jaydes is choosy."

"Overthere?"

"Yes. It's a beautiful place where the purest souls reside once their games end." He sighed longingly. "How I wish I could go there… even the apples are better there."

Dimentio thought for a moment. "So how do you get to the Overthere?"

"Well you have to go to see Queen Jaydes. She will tell you if you're worthy to go to the Overthere. But if you're not, you're stuck here… forever."

Dimentio pondered the thought for a moment. Forever. How long was forever? How long would he wait to get his revenge? Would he wait forever? What happens when forever was over?

"Anyway, we should probably take you to the Queen, unless you have some other things you want to do before you hear your eternal fate."

Dimentio snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the creature. "I'm ready to go," he said.

The creature nodded his head but hesitated before he started walking. Dimentio followed him, smoothing his cloak as he walked.

"Hey, what's your name?" The creature glanced over his shoulder at Dimentio.

"Me? I am Dimentio." He almost added on, 'charming magician', but held his tongue. He wasn't exactly worthy of being called a charming magician after that embarrassing defeat.

"Dimentio, eh? I'm Blasphemious. I've been here for about… 400 years. I've taken a liking to escorting newbies to the Queen herself, but I'm not quite up there with her servants. I guess you could say it's busy work. It's nice to see new faces though, ya know? Everything here is old news to me, though I'm not near as old as most of the other people here." Blasphemious nodded his head to himself. "I like being of use. Sometimes I just feel like I'd end my aftergames right now if I could. That's what time does to you, I suppose."

Dimentio focused on his dark shoes clicking on the ground as he followed behind the creature. Would he end up like this sad guy? Escorting new aftergamers to _Her Majesty_ like a lap dog? The thought that his games had ended still seemed foreign to him. Of course his games weren't over. He still had tomorrow to crush the Count and his minions.

…didn't he?

"And so that's when I told her, 'Look, Marley, I know you can't contain your feelings, I'm pretty sexy. But I have a wife and kids at home. It just won't work.' But I'm telling you, she just didn't quit." Blasphemious prattled on as they trudged forward. Dimentio gazed at the purple sky above him and the bare trees looming over the pair. The air was warm and sticky, and his hair stuck to his forehead. It felt weird not wearing his signature mask, and he wondered where it was.

"So, a fine lad like you must have had quite the girl, right?" Blasphemious said, wiggling his eyebrows at Dimentio.

Dimentio thought a moment. Girls in his life? There was Mimi… regardless of how charming she was, she bugged the crap out of him. Nastasia, who lusted after the Count every day and night. The Princess, who was beautiful, but far too feisty and headstrong for his tastes.

"Romantic relationships fail to spark my interest," he finally responded, clearing his head of the people whose games still went on. They were probably sitting together having tea under a willow tree, giggling and brushing their hair. The thought sickened him.

"Yes, yes, I thought the same thing. Until the day I saw _her._" He sighed blissfully. "The most beautiful Nimbi I'd seen in my aftergame days."

"Your wife?" Dimentio asked flatly, uninterested.

"No, my wife isn't a Nimbi. I was talking about the Princess. She's such a beauty. She never gives any boy the time of day though. It's such a shame, for her beauty to be put to waste."

Dimentio thought a moment. "What is a Nimbi?"

"They're the creatures from the Overthere. All very beautiful, but the fairest of them all is the Princess. She's the daughter or King Grambi and Queen Jaydes."

"Ah," Dimentio responded.

"We're almost there." Blasphemious turned around and grinned at Dimentio. "When you do go there, I wish you the best of luck as far as making it to the Overthere."

Dimentio nodded absentmindedly. The truth was, he actually felt slightly nervous about seeing the Queen. This would determine how he spent the rest of eternity. Or, at least until he could get the hell out of this place.

Blasphemious lead him through a dark purple door. Ahead of him there was a giant white castle, with red stone pillars lining its entrance. A few creatures scurried past the duo. They looked like humanoid dogs, with purple skin and black eyes.

"Those are Her Majesty's D-Men. Basically her lap-dogs and top class servants. However, their ranks are better than ours and they get away with so much more than we do. They get to live in the castle, too." Blasphemious pouted lightly. This guy sure was immature for someone with a wife and kids.

"Where exactly do you live in this place?" Dimentio wondered aloud.

"Well, there is a neighborhood south of here. The living conditions aren't that good though. Not a good place to raise kids."

"Does everyone here look alike?" Dimentio asked him.

"No. Not everyone does. You don't look like me, if that's what you're wondering. You look human. The D-Men do look strikingly similar to each other though. It's odd." Blasphemious chatted as they approached the castle. The door was guarded by two D-Men. They growled as Blasphemious and Dimentio approached them, their teeth yellow and sharp. _Just like a dog_, Dimentio thought.

"Oi! What business do you two lowlifes have with the castle, eh?" One of them asked, leaning forward on his black lance.

"Gerard, you know me. I escort them to get their fate." Blasphemious rolled his eyes. "This is Dimentio. He's new here. He wants to hear where he's going. Can't we get through?"

"Well yeah, but Her Majesty is in an _important_ meeting right now. So no intruders for the time being, 'k?" Gerard spoke sharply, glaring at Dimentio.

Dimentio kept his face even. He wasn't used to feeling as naked as he did without his mask. "Say, Blasphemious. Have you seen a mask anywhere around here?"

"A mask? I'm afraid not. Did you have one?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'll keep an eye open for it, and if I find it I'll bring it to you." Blasphemious turned to Gerard. "Will the Queen be long? I don't want to stand around all day. I have a wife and kids to go home to!"

Gerard snorted. "Beats me. But Her Majesty said it was a very important meeting, so who knows how long it'll be? I hear a rumor going around it's about the Princess."

"Really? I wonder if she's here… How I'd love to glimpse her beautiful face." Blasphemious sighed blissfully.

"Oh put a sock in it. What about your wife and kids? You shouldn't be lusting after her, no matter how beautiful she is." Gerard rolled his black eyes.

Blasphemious frowned. "Like you don't fancy her!"

Dimentio sighed and tuned out their bothersome bantering. He looked up at the sky and was again dumbfounded that the four heroes had managed to send him to the depths of the Underwhere. His plan had been flawless. He had spent years planning the demise of the world, years imagining how he would rule over everything and everyone. He had been so sure, _so sure _he wouldn't be defeated. And then they had to go and ruin everything. The thought angered him, but he didn't feel mad. He was losing his touch. The way he spoke told himself that.

"Dimentio? Dimentiooooo? Anyone there?" Blasphemious waved a hand in front of his face. Dimentio batted it away.

"What?" He asked, smiling as sweetly as he could.

"Well, I was just wondering if—" Blasphemious was cut off as the front door to the castle swung open with a bang, and Gerard was knocked aside as something white blurred past him.

And there, in front of Dimentio, was Queen Jaydes.


	2. Jaydes

**Soooo! It's been a while. I'm up to Chapter 5 now, still forming the story in my head and writing accordingly. This will be a decent story, I can tell. I like where it's headed. I like the characters I've chosen to write about and the setting as well. It's got potential. Don't fret if I update a lot with edits. I'll do that quite a bit; it's just me and my perfectionist side. **

**Also, forgive me if it's bad :( like I said in the previous chapter, my editor is so dumb (so dumb, so dumb... he's climbin in your... nvm) and she is "busy" aka too lazy to edit.**

**I appreciate all the lovely reviews I've gotten and I love you alllllllll~ :D**

**So here's chapter 2, Enjoyyyyyy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dimentio, Jaydes, anyone else etc.  
Claimer: I DO own Blasphemious, Gerard, and Chris! Woohoo for pointless OCs! (at least they're not gary stus or mary sues...) **

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Dimentio could feel the Queen's power from just looking at her. A tall, black and purple hat rested on her head. The hat alone was probably three feet tall. Her face was angular and sharp. She stood a good 6 feet tall, and she wore a dark black cloak that flowed down to her feet. Jaydes eyed Dimentio suspiciously.

"And what… do we have here?" She asked, looking at Blasphemious.

"Your Majesty, this is Dimentio. He is new here. He's ready to hear his fate." Blasphemious bowed to her.

"Dimentio, hmm?" She looked at him firmly. Dimentio stood strong under her gaze, looking back at her directly. The insane amount of power and respect this woman had made him envy her greatly, and he knew she wasn't one to mess with.

"Hello, Queen Jaydes." Dimentio curtly bowed.

"So you're ready to hear your fate, are you?" Jaydes frowned slightly.

"If that wouldn't be _too_ much of a bother." Dimentio smiled at her.

"No, it won't. But I can't guarantee you'll like what you hear." Jaydes turned on her heel and began walking into her castle. "Come. Blasphemious and Gerard, stay behind. This is something only the ears of Mister Dimentio should hear."

Dimentio obediently followed her into her castle. The ceiling was unbelievably high, probably due to her tallness and hat. On the floor was a dark red rug that stretched on to the end of the hall, where it split into two directions. A picture hung on the wall of a couple. He recognized the girl as Jaydes, and the man was much smaller than her with a long white beard and angel wings. He assumed that he was the ruler of the Overthere, judging by his appearance.

"This way, hurry along." Jaydes turned left at the end of the hall. "I'll take you to my office. I have something I wish to discuss with you."

Dimentio frowned at this, but followed her nonetheless. She led him into a small room. There was a tall purple chair behind a desk, which Jaydes sat down in. She motioned for him to sit down in the chair across from it. Dimentio sat down in it and stared at her.

"You aren't like the others are you?" She asked immediately, gazing at him with a look he couldn't quite place.

"I don't know what you mean, _Your Majesty._" Of course he was like the others, wasn't he? His game had ended, and he was here, where he should be.

"Did you say your name was Dimentio?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Well, Dimentio, I must admit that something about you seems a bit off to me. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to look into your games." She smiled at him, but her sickly sweet smile made him a little uneasy. "It's business for my position. If your games seem to be worthy enough, I'll grant you permission to go to the Overthere. I'll admit, it's much better there than it is here." She pondered this for a moment, leaning forward on her desk and propping her head up in her palms. "Though I'll say that I'm a nicer ruler than King Grambi."

Dimentio wasn't quite sure what to do, so he smiled at her like a good boy.

aydes slowly closed her eyes and a dark purple aura surrounded her. Suddenly, Dimentio felt the memories of his game life being pried open. He narrowed his eyes; he highly doubted that she'd be pleased with the way he spent his games. Attempting to end the universe usually wasn't something that was looked upon lightly. After a minute or so, Jaydes opened her black eyes and stared at him with disbelief.

"You…" Her voice shook, and she briefly covered her mouth with her hand. "What have you DONE?" she cried, standing. She brought her hands to her face, then crossed them, and uncrossed them. "I… I don't know what to think of you," she choked out.

Dimentio stared at her steadily. Of course she didn't.

"You certainly aren't going to the Overthere, that's for sure." She finally whispered as she glared at him darkly. "I… I knew I felt something odd about you. But I didn't think it was a _bad_ thing." She took a deep breath, as if to steady herself. "What you did is unforgivable… Leave my sight immediately."

Dimentio looked at her for a moment.

"GO!" She yelled, clenching her fists at her sides. "And don't you _ever_ come to see me again, until you have purged your ways!"

Dimentio stood from his chair and walked out the door and towards the exit. He knew something like this would happen, but it was easier to get it over with quickly and not get too attached to everything here. But… her punishment wasn't as extreme as he had expected. He had gotten lucky this time. He'd expected something like eternal life in the River of Twygz or the likes.

Dimentio walked out the front door of the castle, glancing over his shoulder temporarily at the place he probably wouldn't be seeing again for a long while. _Ah well,_ he thought. _I don't need the Overthere to make me happy_.

"Hey Dimentio! How'd it go? Are you going to the Overthere?" Dimentio started for a moment when Blasphemious spoke to him; he hadn't noticed that the man was in front of him. Blasphemious grinned.

"Not quite, Blasphemious. If you'd excuse me, I'll be on my way." Dimentio bowed lightly and began walking off.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

Dimentio looked over his shoulder at Blasphemious, taking in his pure ugliness for what he hoped was the last time. "Ciao!" He called, and turned back around.

It was a shame to leave such pure hearted people alone. Part of him wanted to see them suffer. But the other part of him thought, 'no, don't do that. Don't associate yourself with them anymore.' Honestly, what _was_ happening to him? He was becoming a softie. Thoughts of becoming friends with Blasphemious had fleetingly crossed his mind, and he merely laughed at them now. Of course he wouldn't make friends here. It wasn't worth it, was it? He had seen what happened to Count Bleck… _Blumiere_ because of his so-called 'friends'. He had been defeated by a short mustached man, his brother, a princess, and a turtle.

He brushed the thought that he _also_ had been defeated by them away as he continued walking.

Suddenly, he bumped into a small figure.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, freak!"

Dimentio looked down to see a small person glaring up at him. "My apologies, sir." The man had dark blonde hair and green eyes. He was short and thin and lanky, and the sight of him reminded Dimentio of a twig.

"Yeah, you better be sorry! I've got to look my best if I want to confess my love to the fairest of all fair."

"Who?" Dimentio asked, smiling lightly at this odd man.

"Well, the Princess of course!" The short man rolled his eyes, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Dimentio thought for a moment. This princess sure was being mentioned a lot. He found himself wondering if she really was all that beautiful. But he quickly shook the thoughts from his brain as he focused his attention back on the man in front of him. "Ciao," he said, and walked past the person.

"Hey, wait! What's your name?"

Dimentio smiled to himself. He'd find out sooner or later, wouldn't he? "Dimentio."

"I'm Chris!"

_Well Chris,_ thought Dimentio, _I hope the Princess likes shorter men._

_

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_**/Chapter 2**


	3. The Heir

**And here is the long awaited (lol not really guys) chapter 3 of my first Mario/SPM story, Arranged! AHHHH! **

**This one has Luvbi in it :D**

**They need a character slot for Luvbi here. Dang. **

**AAAAAAAAAND. I love you guyyyyysss againnnn. Lovely reviews are lovely. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own yadda yadda  
Claimer: I own ALL OF KORIDAI! **

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Luvbi sighed to herself as she looked in the mirror. Her long, curly golden hair was twisted into a bun atop her head, and small ringlets framed her face. Her golden eyes were accented with the beautiful white dress that fell to her knees, and her angelic wings were white and flawless in the light.

"Beautiful, beautiful," she muttered to herself as she did a little spin in front of the mirror. "I sure am beautiful…"

"Luvbi!" Her father's voice called from outside her door. "Thou really must be on thy way. Jaydes is waiting."

"Yes, father," Luvbi responded. She frowned to herself. What could her mother want? Usually it was nothing good…

Luvbi opened the door to her room and smiled at her father, who smiled weakly back. Her father was getting old, and would probably retire soon. Luvbi, being the only heir to the throne, would have to rule the Overthere when he passed. The thought of being Queen of the Overthere was a little frightening, she admitted. But it was her duty, and she would wear the crown of Overthere proudly when it was her time.

"Thou looks lovely, my dearest. Please, have a safe trip to Jaydes, and send her mine best."

"Yes, father." She walked down the hall of the castle to the door that led outside. She paused and admired the portrait of her, her father, and her mother quickly before opening the door and stepping into the fading evening sunlight.

The sky was blue that faded into golden nearing the sunset and fluffy clouds dotted it. The cloud she was standing on was soft beneath her bare feet and she walked to the edge of it. Down, far below, was the Underwhere. How she dreaded going there; how hideous it was compared to the Overthere! She sighed nonchalantly and stretched her long white wings before jumping into the sky and taking flight.

Luvbi always loved flying. From the time she was three, she had always been in the sky, spinning and twirling. Flying was part of the reason she always wore her hair in a bun. When it was down it always got in her face and made it hard to see where she was going.

Luvbi flew through the clouds, and down toward the darkness of the Underwhere. She squinted her eyes to see as far as she could, but she could only faintly make out the dark aura of the place that so closely resembled Hell.

She never liked going to the Underwhere. She loved her mother, yes, but the Underwhere was so creepy, and dark, and… so _opposite_ of her home world, the Overthere. And although she was waiting for her prince, one thing she knew for _certain_ was that she wouldn't find her gorgeous, charming prince in a place like the _Underwhere._ She'd find him sitting in the clouds of the Overthere, eating a golden apple and staring into the sunset, and she'd approach him and he'd turn to her with his beautiful brown hair and golden eyes and say—

"Princess! There you are! The Queen was worried that you wouldn't come. Please, step inside the castle."

Luvbi was interrupted from her thoughts as she landed on the dark paved road. She looked at the source of her interruption to find her mother's most trusted D-Man, Gerard.

"Queen Jaydes is waiting in her office for you, your majesty." Gerard curtly bowed and opened the giant door for her.

She smiled calmly at him and stepped into the castle. So her mother even sent guards outside to ensure she didn't run off. How sweet of her.

She tapped on her mother's office door once before stepping inside the room. Her mother was sitting behind her tall black desk, with her crown on her head as usual. A fake smile was plastered to her face as she welcomed Luvbi and gestured for her to sit across from her. That was something she always did. She wouldn't talk to anyone unless they were sitting down with her.

"What iseth it, Mother?" Luvbi asked, crossing her legs and folding her hands into her lap.

"Well, Luvbi, I'm glad you could make it. I have a few things to discuss with you this evening." Jaydes put her reading glasses on and looked through some papers as she spoke. A common nervous habit, noted Luvbi.

"As you know, your father's and my time are approaching soon, and we will retire and give you the position of Queen of the Overthere. However, you cannot rule both places by yourself."

"I knoweth this." Luvbi spoke, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, since we've talked to you about this for years and years, and you've yet to show any kind of interest in any boy in particular, we've reached our limits and… there will be an arranged marriage meeting next week." Jaydes spoke slowly, seemingly saddened by what she said.

Luvbi's heart seemed to stop in her chest.

"…wh-what did thou say…?" Luvbi stared at her mother with wide eyes.

"I assure you that the boy is a nice man, and he will be a good and just ruler." Jaydes closed her eyes. "This wasn't my idea in the first place, darling. You have to understand…"

All Luvbi could do was stare at her mother. An arranged marriage? Is this what her life had come to? Did she deserve this?

"E-excuse me…" Luvbi stuttered as she got up and ran out the door. Luvbi ran as fast as she could, to the end of the hall, out the door, and she was flying.

Everything blurred past her, and she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. She just had to _get out of there._ This wasn't what she had expected. She had expected a lecture on how she should stop being so rude to the boys who try to seduce her or something. But an arranged marriage? Certainly not.

She stopped somewhere in the dark woods, catching her breath. Letting out a sigh, she plopped down on a chopped off stump and furrowed her brow. This totally foiled her prince charming plan of meeting the boy in the Overthere eating a golden apple. She tucked her knees under her chin and stared ahead at her at the seemingly unending forest. The trees were barren and so close to black that they almost blended into the never-ending night.

It hit Luvbi at how dark it truly was at that time, and she wrapped her arms around her knees. The bottom of her feet were brown and covered with dirt from stepping in the swampy terrain of the dark woods, and her hair was falling out of its bun. She closed her eyes and listened to the night, but she couldn't hear a sound outside of her own heart beating in her ears.

"Dang it, that guy… he wrinkled my shirt! I have to look my best… not like this." Luvbi's ears perked up at the sound of a voice that was getting closer.

"This is ridiculous. What was his name? Dimentio? I won't forgive him! Curse you, Dimentio!" The source of the noise came into Luvbi's view, and she raised an eyebrow. The man was incredibly short, _maybe_ up to her shoulder, and had on a dark brown shirt and a pair of white pants on that were obviously very worn.

He stopped and stared at her when he realized that she was watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"Um… how much of that did you hear?" Luvbi raised her eyebrows at him.

"Most all…" She responded, lowering her knees and standing up to face him.

"You're…" his eyes widened in realization.

Luvbi had to keep from chuckling to herself. "Well, yes, I _am_-"

"You're from the Overthere!" He interrupted her. "Wow, that's awesome. The girl that I'm going to confess to lives up there… She's just perfect. Beautiful face, long golden hair, angel wings…" He sighed in bliss.

"And who might thoust like?" She asked.

"Well, Princess Luvbi. Who else?" He rolled his eyes, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Luvbi stared at him. "Thoust _does _know that-"

"Ah, sorry! I gotta run. I need to change and re-plan my tactics. I heard she's not at the castle anymore. Shame, huh?"

"Yes…" Luvbi scratched her head.

"Hey, what's your name?" the man asked. "I'm Chris."

"Lu… Call me Lubvi." She _really _didn't feel like dealing with a confession at the moment.

"Wow, that's really close to Luvbi. Anyway, laters!" He called as he ran off.

Luvbi sighed and sat back down on the stump, unsure of where to go next.


	4. The Lake

**So hey guys. Here's chapter 4. It's a little bit of a different mood. Okay so a really different mood. But. I think I like this one the best. **

**I don't know why.**

**Don't worry, though. Soon there will be Luvbi. More of her, I mean. I know you all love Luvbi. Heh. Love LUVbi.  
Well, she's one of my favorite characters, besides Demintio, Mimi, and Bleck. And Tippi. Dang. I love almost every character in that game, but how can you not? Let's see. Who do I NOT like?**

**...**

**...**

**Ah. The soup nazi in Flopside. But I don't even hate her that much!  
Okay, enough. Here's the next chapter in our epic journey. Lol not really that epic but oh well. More epic than Epic Mickey. I guess. Haven't played it but it doesn't look very epic to me.**

**Hope you all enjoy. **

**P.S. Thanks for all the reviews again. YOU GUYS ARE ALL SEXY AND I LOVE YOU.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dimentio  
Claimer: I own this LAKE! **

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**Chapter 4 – The Lake**

Dimentio wasn't sure how long he'd been walking when he came across a lake in the middle of the forest. His legs were tired and his forehead was covered with sweat from the mugginess of the swamp land. He didn't have anywhere to go other than away, and this is where away had led him.

He sighed as he approached the lake. It was dark and the water was clouded over as far as he could tell by the moonlight. Looking overhead, it seemed to be almost midnight. Dimentio had no idea he'd been traveling that long, and it was no wonder he was tired. He leaned against a tree before sinking to the ground and closing his eyes. The forest was eerily silent, and Dimentio's ears seemed to search for some sort of sound to put his racing heart at ease. He wasn't sure if his heart was racing because of how far he'd walked or because of how nervous he was.

After a short while, he opened his eyes and peered into the darkness. The moon was reflected off of the murky water, bright white against the black of the forest. He stood up and walked towards the edge of the water. It _looked_ like normal water. He kneeled down in front of it and dipped a gloved finger into it. Shortly after he dipped his finger into it the glove melted off of his finger and dissolved into the water.

Stifling a gasp, Dimentio drew his hand quickly out of the water and held it protectively. He narrowed his eyes and walked back to the tree that he had been leaning on and resumed his 'safe spot' in front of it, his eyes never leaving the lake.

"Seems this place is more dangerous than I had first assumed," he said aloud to himself. Speaking seemed to comfort him somehow, piercing the painful silence that surrounded him. "I should probably keep moving, but I'm tired," he continued. "It couldn't hurt to stay here for the rest of the night, could it?"

No one answered him, and once again he was filled with the pressure of the silence.

Dimentio rubbed his head and glared at the lake. He eyed his glove that now had a finger missing from it and massaged the hand that had been in the water.

"This is odd," he said, closing his eyes. "It's so quiet. It's making my head hurt."

Then, slowly, Dimentio began to hear a faint humming noise. His eyes snapped open and searched in the darkness to no avail. The only thing he could see was the white moon reflected off the water. It was blinding. Dimentio looked around him again.

The humming faintly got louder. Dimentio was frantic now, searching for where the humming was coming from. He knew it was there; he wasn't imagining it, was he? As it got louder, he turned his head, frenziedly looking for the noise, but it seemed to be all around him. It was closing in on him, he could feel it. He buried his head against the bottom of the tree and shut his eyes tightly, trying to drown it out, but it just got louder. He clamped his hands over his ears but the noise seeped through his hands and filled his brain, becoming painfully loud.

Dimentio could take it no more.

"STOP!" He screamed. His voice pressed against him, excruciatingly loud, and the humming reached a climax… and then it stopped.

And all was silent once more.

**/Chapter 4**


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